CE/CEC Series
Heavy Duty Cylindrical Lockset
Description
The CE Series Cylindrical Lockset is certified with ANSI Grade 1 and UL 3-hr rating, specially designed for High Traffic commercial areas such as schools, universities, office buildings, and industrial complexes. Featuring an internal spring design that mitigates lever sag, and allows for an aesthetically pleasing low projection rose.
Features:
- Fast and easy installation
- Internal spring design to mitigates lever sag
- Heavy gauge mounting plates and roses
- Low profile rose design
- Stainless steel trim available for use in harsh and corrosive environments
- Clutched design available for highly abusive environment


DOWNLOADS AND RESOURCES
- Catalog: View CE-M/ CDC/ CS/ CSRC/ CB
- How to Order/Cut Sheet: CE/CEC How-To-Order
- Installation Guide: CE/CEC Installation
- Template: CE/CEC Template
Manufacturer Resources
Product Specs
- Series:
- CEC Series
- Grade:
- Grade 1
- Product Group:
- Mechanical Locks
- Product Subgroup:
- Bored Locksets
- Product Type:
- Knobs and Levers
- Subcategory:
- Cylindrical Locks
- Commercial/Residential:
- Commercial
- Lock Type:
- Cylindrical
- Keyed Function:
- Single Cylinder
- Duty Level:
- Heavy Duty
- Product Attribute:
- Cylindrical Locks
- Product Function:
- Storeroom
- Product Category:
- Mechanical Locks
- Department:
- Door Hardware
TownSteel CEC-86-S-630 – Frequently Asked Questions
1) Is the TownSteel CEC-86 a storeroom function lock that always stays locked from the outside?
That's the function. The CEC/CECI-86 is a storeroom/exit lock: the outside lever is always locked and retracts the latch only with the key, while the inside lever is always free for egress. It's a single cylinder lock, so there's no key on the inside. That makes it the right pick for storage rooms, mechanical rooms, IT closets and anywhere you want the door secured behind whoever just walked through it, with no button or thumbturn for someone to leave unlocked by accident.
2) What does the clutched lever on the TownSteel CEC-86 actually do in an abusive location?
When the outside lever is locked and someone cranks on it, the clutch lets the lever spin free instead of transmitting that force into the lock internals. Nothing breaks, nothing sags, and the door stays secured. That's why the CEC is the version TownSteel builds for highly abusive environments - school corridors, dorms, public restrooms, anywhere the hardware gets hit rather than used. It's also why an internal spring design is used to keep the lever from drooping over time.
3) Is the TownSteel CEC series lockset Grade 1 and can it go on a fire rated door?
Grade 1, and the CE series carries a UL 3-hour rating, so it can be used on fire door assemblies up to that rating. For an institutional spec that calls for Grade 1 cylindrical hardware on rated corridor and stair doors, this meets it. Grade 1 is the highest ANSI/BHMA operational grade, which is what facilities standardize on when the same lock has to survive a decade of daily traffic.
4) Should I order the TownSteel CEC-86 with a standard cylinder or SFIC prep?
Depends on who controls your keys. Standard cylinder ships as a complete keyed lock, and you pick KD (keyed different), KA (keyed alike across multiple locks) or a specific key code at the time you order. SFIC prep ships without a core so you install your own small format interchangeable core - that's the choice if your facility already runs an SFIC system and your locksmith stamps and rotates cores in house. If you take SFIC prep, select "None" for keying, since the core and its keys come from your own stock.
5) Storeroom lock vs classroom or entrance function - which one do I need?
Storeroom, like the TownSteel CEC-86, is locked outside at all times and takes a key every time; nobody can leave it unlocked. Entrance function, such as the Falcon K501 or the Cal-Royal BA00, has a push or turnbutton inside so an occupant can unlock the door and leave it open during business hours - right for a suite entry, wrong for a supply room. Classroom function, like the Cal-Royal BA03, is keyed from outside to lock or unlock the outside lever with no inside button, which is what a teacher needs to secure a room in a lockdown. Pick by whether anyone should be able to leave the opening unlocked.
6) What else does ZenSupply carry as a storeroom cylindrical lock if the TownSteel CEC-86 isn't right?
The Cal-Royal BA05 is the closest direct swap by function - a storeroom cylindrical lock with a Grade 2 ANSI F86 deadlocking latch, rated for doors 1-3/8 to 1-3/4 inches. Grade 2 rather than Grade 1, so it suits lighter commercial traffic and tighter budgets. If your door is thicker than 1-3/4 inches, neither the BA05 nor most standard cylindrical locks will span it; the Falcon K501 is listed for 1-3/8 to 2-1/4 inch doors, though that one is entrance function, not storeroom.
7) What is the closest Grade 1 cylindrical alternative to the TownSteel CEC-86 if the opening needs a push-button entrance function instead of storeroom?
The TownSteel CEC/CECI-86 is a Grade 1 cylindrical lockset built as a storeroom function, so the outside lever is always locked and retracts the latch by key only. When the opening needs an occupant to be able to leave the outside lever unlocked, the Falcon K501 is the Grade 1 heavy duty cylindrical to move to: it is an entrance function with a push-turnbutton, fire rated, and covers doors 1-3/8 inch to 2-1/4 inch thick. Both are Grade 1 heavy duty cylindrical locks, so the bored prep and the traffic level are comparable; the difference is who controls the lock state at the door.
8) Is the Cal-Royal BA05 storeroom lock a direct substitute for the TownSteel CEC-86?
They share the function but not the grade. Both are storeroom cylindrical locks, and the Cal-Royal BA05 carries the ANSI F86 deadlocking latch, so key-only outside operation is the same idea at the door. The BA05 is a Grade 2 lock in the Barrington BA series fitted to doors 1-3/8 inch to 1-3/4 inch thick, while the TownSteel CEC/CECI-86 is Grade 1 heavy duty with a clutched lever for abusive openings. For a spec that calls out Grade 1, the BA05 does not meet it; for a lighter interior storage door within that thickness range it is the simpler storeroom option.
9) What should I use instead of the TownSteel CEC-86 on a classroom door where the teacher needs to lock the outside lever by key?
The CEC/CECI-86 is a storeroom function, which means the outside lever stays locked at all times and cannot be left unlocked for a class period. For that opening the Cal-Royal BA03 is the one to specify: it is a classroom cylindrical lock with the ANSI F84 function, Grade 2, for doors 1-3/8 inch to 1-3/4 inch thick, where the key locks and unlocks the outside lever from the corridor side. If the classroom door is on a Grade 1 spec, the CEC series function should be changed rather than substituting the grade.
10) Can I key several TownSteel CEC-86 storeroom locks to one key for a building?
Yes - choose KA, key alike, and every lock on the order opens with the same key. That's the usual setup for a property manager who wants one storage key covering the janitor closet, the mechanical room and the roof access. Keyed different (KD) is the default if each opening needs its own key, and if you already have a keyway and bitting on file you can submit a specific key code instead. Locks ordered in SFIC prep are keyed by your own cores rather than by this selection.
11) I need to control a storeroom door from a front desk - is the TownSteel CEC-86 the wrong lock?
It is. The CEC-86 is purely mechanical, key operated from outside, with no electrical option. For remote release or access control on a cylindrical prep, look at the BEST 9KW Series electromechanical cylindrical lock, which is built for remote control operation and is also heavy duty. Use the CEC-86 where a key is the only credential you need.
12) Is the TownSteel CEC-86 a cylindrical lock or a mortise lock, and what prep does my door need?
Cylindrical - it goes into a standard bored door prep, not a mortise pocket. That means a cross bore through the face of the door and an edge bore for the latch, the same prep a knob or lever lock already sits in. If your existing doors are prepped for a mortise lock body, this won't drop in; you'd need a mortise lockset instead. TownSteel publishes a CE/CEC template and installation guide for laying out the prep on new doors.
13) Will the TownSteel CEC-86 hold up in a school or high traffic office corridor?
That's what it's built for. The CE series is rated Grade 1 heavy duty and specified for high traffic commercial areas including schools, universities, office buildings and industrial complexes. The clutched CEC version adds protection for the most abused openings, and the low profile rose with heavy gauge mounting plates keeps the trim tight to the door where carts and bags catch it.
14) Can the BEST 9KW electromechanical lock replace a TownSteel CEC-86 in the same door prep?
They are not the same class of product even though both are heavy duty cylindrical locks. The BEST 9KW is an electromechanical cylindrical lock with remote control operation, so it requires power and a control input at the door. The TownSteel CEC/CECI-86 is a mechanical storeroom lockset keyed with a single cylinder, with standard and SFIC prep versions and a choice of Gala, Quest or Sentinel levers. If the access control plan calls for remote release the 9KW is the direction; if the door is being keyed into an existing key system with no wiring, the CEC-86 is the mechanical equivalent.
15) What is the difference between the TownSteel CEC-86 and the Cal-Royal BA00 entrance lock for an apartment unit door?
The Cal-Royal BA00 is an entrance function in the Barrington BA series with turn/push button locking, for doors 1-3/8 inch to 1-3/4 inch thick, so a resident can throw the button from inside and secure the door without a key. The TownSteel CEC/CECI-86 is a Grade 1 heavy duty storeroom lock, key-only from the outside with no inside button, which suits a mechanical room or storage door rather than a unit entry. For a fleet of unit doors the entrance function matches how residents actually use the door; for the back-of-house doors on the same property the CEC-86 is the heavier answer.
16) Which cylindrical lock handles a pair of doors between two rooms rather than a storeroom opening?
That is the Cal-Royal BA04, a communicating cylindrical lock in the Barrington BA series with the ANSI F80 Grade 2 function, for doors 1-3/8 inch to 1-3/4 inch thick. Communicating function is used where two adjoining rooms share a door and each side needs its own control, which the TownSteel CEC/CECI-86 does not do; the CEC-86 is a storeroom lock with a single cylinder keyed from one side. Hotel connecting rooms and paired treatment rooms are the typical BA04 opening.
17) For a school corridor door on a Grade 1 spec, how do the TownSteel CEC-86 and the Falcon K501 compare?
Both are Grade 1 heavy duty cylindrical locks, so either satisfies a Grade 1 line on the drawing. The Falcon K501 in the K series is an entrance function with a push-turnbutton and is fire rated, covering 1-3/8 inch to 2-1/4 inch doors. The TownSteel CEC/CECI-86 is a storeroom function with a clutched lever, meaning force on a locked outside lever spins free instead of loading the mechanism, and it is certified with a UL 3-hour rating for high traffic areas such as schools and universities. On a corridor door that must stay secure at all times, the storeroom function is the match; where staff need to unlock the lever from inside the room, the entrance function is.
18) What lever styles and finish does the TownSteel CEC-86 come in?
Three lever designs - Gala, Quest and Sentinel - all in 630 satin stainless steel. Every combination of the three levers is available in both standard cylinder and SFIC prep, so the trim choice doesn't limit your keying. 630 is the standard commercial satin stainless finish, so it lines up visually with the exit devices, closers and push plates most commercial buildings already run.
19) Will a TownSteel CEC lockset hold up in a coastal or washdown environment?
TownSteel offers stainless steel trim in the CE/CEC series for harsh and corrosive environments, and the 630 satin stainless finish offered here is that material. For pool rooms, coastal properties, food processing and anywhere hardware gets hosed down, that matters more than grade does - a plated finish over base metal is what pits first.
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Can I return it if it doesn’t work for me?
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Does the TownSteel CEC-86-S-630 come with a warranty?
Absolutely. The TownSteel CEC-86-S-630 is backed by a manufacturer’s warranty.
For full warranty terms, check the product documentation or Contact Us.
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